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Saturday

Saturday morning, after swiftly checking in for our Virgin Atlantic flight to Antigua, myself and my mum make our way to the Virgin Vroom.  This was my first time using the Vroom and I was very impressed. If you are traveling with children, it is a fantastic way to start your holiday. There is plenty to keep the little ones occupied, from Nintendo Ds Consoles, to an Xbox 360, table football, and much much more! Also your drinks (excluding alcohol) and food is all included in the price (£20 per adult and £12 per child) so you can enjoy a hot breakfast, cereal, fruit and much more and not have to spend a penny! You can also use the Vroom up to 3 hours before your flight departs, and you have flight updates in the lounge so you know exactly when your flight is boarding! After having a leisurely morning in the Vroom, we decide to head for the duty free shops before our flight was called.

8 Hours later, we land into Antigua! The flight with Virgin Atlantic was really comfortable, we had seat back TV’s and a great money saver, your drinks are included throughout the flight!

We have a 30 minute transfer to Grand Pineapple, and after checking into the hotel and being shown to our room I was truly amazed! We were lucky enough to be staying in a Tropical Waterfront Suite, the views from these rooms are stunning and the rooms have also been recently refurbished. After a quick un-packing, we head to the gorgeous white sandy beach and enjoy a lazy afternoon and evening.

Sunday

We decide to spend a couple of hours on the beach in the morning, as this afternoon we are going to head off and see The Old English Harbor & Shirley Heights!

We arrived at The Old English Harbor around 4pm. We had a look around a small museum, there are also a couple of small cafes and shops around too, and the Harbor is beautiful! We then ventured on to Shirley Heights. This is a must for anyone visiting Antigua! Every Sunday night Shirley Heights holds the best Caribbean Party on the Island, where many Tourists and locals attend. It is set on a cliff top overlooking the Old English Harbor, and I believe it has the most amazing views and Sunsets I have ever seen in the Caribbean. The barbeque starts around 4pm, and you also have a fantastic Caribbean Steele Band, which is then followed by a Reggae Band, so it is the Ultimate Caribbean Party!

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This was to be my first visit to Mexico and I was really pleased to be given the opportunity to go.  There were just seven of us on the trip and none had been to Mexico before so we were all able to learn together.  The 7 of us met up at Gatwick for our British Airways flight to Cancun.  We took off on time and I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of legroom we had – we were sitting in Economy.  There were quite a few spare seats at the back of the plane so we spread out and relaxed. The choice of films was huge, and the service on board was attentive and friendly.

Secrets Capri

We arrived in Cancun just after lunch, Mexican time and once we had cleared immigration and customs we were whisked off to the Secrets Capri, around a 25 minute journey away. Upon arrival we were greeted with a glass of champagne, a cold towel and a ‘welcome home’.

The Secrets Capri is an adults only, all ‘Preferred Club’ hotel so we were seated in a comfortable, cool lounge where the check in was carried out.  We then went off to our rooms to find that our cases had already arrived.  The rooms themselves were tastefully decorated in shades of blue and white and the whirlpool bath was a nice touch.

We met in the lobby for our hotel visit and had a good look around.  Secrets Capri is a smallish, intimate hotel with a lovely atmosphere. The choice of restaurants is plentiful including the usual buffet offering, together with a la carte restaurants including amongst others an Asian, Italian, Mexican, each with their own theme and no reservations required.  We were treated to a candlelit barbecue supper on the beach.  The sand was soft and cool beneath our feet and the sound of the ocean in the background was the perfect backdrop.  I could see this being a good option for a private wedding supper.  The food was delicious, I particularly enjoyed the vegetable skewers, and the fillet steak was cooked to perfection.  By this time the long flight and jet lag had taken their toll and an early night was on the cards for everyone.

Now Jade

The following morning I was up at 5.30 am ( jet lag!) and after sampling a plentiful breakfast buffet we set off on a short drive to Now Jade in Puerto Morelos.  Our guide pointed out an alligator in a lake not far from the hotel but not surprisingly no one expressed much desire to get out and take a closer look.

Now Jade is a very modern, contemporary hotel set right on the beach.  We first went to look at the rooms.  The first room we saw was large and beautifully decorated, with twin double beds and a couple of steps down to a spacious seating area.  Then, best of all, the hotel manager pulled up the blind and there it was, right in front of our eyes, the beautiful white sand and turquoise Caribbean sea. The bathrooms were vast, with twin washbasins, a massive jacuzzi bath right under the window so, if the mood grabbed you, it would be possible to lounge in the jacuzzi looking out of the window at the lovely clear turquoise sea and no, no one could see in!

Another great feature of Now Jade was the restaurants, each themed to within an inch of its life and guaranteed to make the diner believe they were in a different place, if not continent, every night.  The choices of buffet, Asian with tepanyaki tables, French, Mexican etc.  – it would be very hard to get bored with the food.  I particularly liked the coffee shop where you can get a proper cup of coffee and a beautiful muffin, all part of the all inclusive programme, naturally.  A contemporary hotel with great facilities which is also welcoming for families.

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Find out more about Egypt and our Egypt Resorts

Day 1

Date: 16 May 2011

Location: Manchester – Luxor- Esna.

Touching the Symbol of Life in Luxor Temple

A very early start! I woke up at 5am and headed for Manchester terminal 1. Once I arrived at terminal 1 I headed for the Cosmos/Monarch desk where I was to meet our hosts. After everyone had arrived we checked in our bags, lucky for us we had security fast track tickets and we were whisked through as there was a massive queue (approximately a 40 minute wait) to go through without this. On board the Monarch flight we were given front row seats so there was ample room. After a lovely 5 and a half hours we landed at 16.35 in Luxor.  We then took a 15 minute coach transfer to our ship the MS Lady Mary. Upon arrival we were greeted by the staff and given a complimentary drink.

We set sail for Esna at 18.30 and had a welcome meeting where we met Bridget, the rep from Cosmos, and Ehab, our Egyptologist. We were also given the itinerary for the week and a list of additional extra’s that we could book, after the meeting it was time for dinner.

The open buffet-style restaurant has a Capacity of 160 guests at one sitting. The food was lovely; there was a selection of Braised beef, Grilled Sea Bass and Roast Chicken. For starters there was a choice of soup, a salad bar and an amazing selection of homemade breads that they cook on board. The other side of the salad bar was the desserts selection made up of cakes, jellies, mousses and pastries.

After a few drinks and getting to know people I headed for bed at midnight.

Day 2

Date: 17 May  2011

Location:  Esna, Edfu & Aswan.

An early morning call at 7.30 but being excited I was up at 6.20. Each morning you get a wake up call on the telephone 30 mins before breakfast opens. During the night we had docked at Esna which is 55 km south of Luxor. To get to Esna we went through a lock system which we will experience in the daylight later on in the week but we did it late last night.

Esna Temple

After breakfast we departed the ship with Ehab our Egyptologist and took a short walk through a narrow shopping street full of Bazaars where we were offered scarves, Galabeyas and souvenirs. Ehab had already advised us what prices were to be expected for the popular items and he said that they always give you a ridiculous price so give them a ridiculous price back. As we turned a slight corner we came to the magnificent Esna Temple, standing 9 meters below the existing street level we made our way down the stairs to the temple.

The Temple was breathtaking, the hieroglyphs on the outer walls which are thousands of years old look like they were only just done. Ehab explained how the temples are preserved, with the floods and sand storms that happened and the change in religion the temple got abandoned and disappeared underneath the sand.

Esna Temple

After an hour and a half we were back on the boat, here we were greeted by a cool face towel and a refreshing drink. The rest of the day was free time as we cruise down the Nile towards Edfu. We docked at Edfu for approximately 4 hours; the other passengers on the boat who didn’t go to Esna Temple then went to Edfu temple.

Once everyone was back on the boat we again set sail for Aswan, this is the furthest south we go. The entertainment at night was a Gala Dinner with the Captain with cocktails and a disco on the top deck.

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Day 1

Dancers greeting us at the airport

I met the Beachcomber Representatives and the rest of the group at 1800 at Heathrow and checked in with Air Mauritius for our 2100 departure to Mauritius.

Some 12 hours later we arrived at our destination, collected our bags and were given a very special welcome to the island by a band and dancers, all in traditional dress, who gave us all flower garlands.

We were then transferred to our 1st hotel, the Shandrani Resort and Spa, which is located on the South East of the island, and takes approximately 10 minutes to reach from the airport, where we were checked into our Superior rooms for a quick change before meeting for a superb hosted lunch in the Sirius restaurant. We were then able to enjoy some relaxation with a 30 minutemassage in the sumptuous Spa.

In the evening we enjoyed a special a la carté dinner at Le Boucanier Restaurant, followed by drinks in the bar.

Me with a giant tortoise at the Vanille Crocodile Park (I'm the one on the right)

Day 2

We enjoyed a magnificent buffet breakfast in Le Grand Port restaurant, which was followed by a guided tour of the Shandrani Resort and Spa, and all its facilities including the Gym, 6 hole Pitch and Put, Spa and Tennis courts.

Our 1st surprise of the trip was then revealed – we were to participate in a Hells Kitchen competition! We were divided into 3 teams and had to cook our own lunch, of Octopus salad, Chicken Curry and Banana Flambé. We were assisted by hotel chefs and our results were judged by the Shandrani Head Chef and Hotel Manager, with extreme pleasure I can announce that my team won!

After our home made lunch, we were transferred to Vanille Crocodile park, about 1 hour south of the Shandrani, this was a fantastic ½ day trip where we were able to see an assortment of animals including: Giant Tortoises, Monkeys and Alligators.

Back at the Shandrani we once again enjoyed the delights of Le Boucanier restaurant, feasting on the a la carté fish menu, which contained more courses than you can shake a stick at, once again the evening finished with a few drinks at the bar.

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Naomi (center) at The Bordeaux at Dreams La Romana

I travelled down to London the day before my AM Resorts Fam Trip to the Dominican Republic and decided to stay overnight at the Sofitel at Gatwick airport. In the morning I literally just had to walk down a corridor and I was in the North Terminal and ready to go.

We flew with BA to Punta Cana International and our flight had a touch down in Antigua, which I was not looking forward to. Surprisingly it did not bother me at all, we were on the ground for less than an hour, passengers who were staying in Antigua got off, they switched the flight crew and we were off again.

Now Larimar

Our first stay was at Now Larimar, a property that is new to the AM resorts chain. The transfer took around 35 minutes and when we arrived we were taken to the Preferred Club lounge which is just to the right of the main entrance. We checked in whilst in the lounge and were shown to our Deluxe Tropical View rooms.  I was very impressed; they were extremely specious and the décor was quite modern.

The fountain at Now Larimar

We met before dinner in the Moments Lobby Bar. All of the bars and restaurants are set around a square courtyard which makes everything easily accessible and if there is a wait in one of the restaurant you can simply cross over to one of the bars and wait.

The evening meal was a hosted dinner at Mercure, the French Restaurant. After dinner we went up to the resorts night club, Eclipse, which is open from 10:30 to 1:30 every evening.

The next day we had a buffet breakfast in International Café followed by a site inspection of Now Larimar and Secrets Royal Beach.

Now Larimar

We started off with Now Larimar and had a look at all of the restaurants and a few room categories. We had a look in Scores, which is the resorts sports bar complete with a bowling alley. We saw the kids club, which has two sections, one for children aged 4 to 7 and one for children aged 8 to 12. They do not yet have a teen area, but we were told that this is something that they are looking to put into place.

My favourite feature of the resort was the long water fountain which could be used as a Wedding location. I though it was fantastic, there is a path on either side and couples can get married at the head of the fountain. We were told that one couple had actually had the water turn on just as they had their first kiss, I though that this was an amazing idea.

Secrets Royal Beach

We walked across to Secrets Royal Beach which is literally next door to Now Larimar; there is just a little path and raised grass section separating them. They share the same stretch of beach and guests staying at Secrets are able to use the facilities at Now, but not the other way around as Secrets is the Adults Only property. The resort is relatively small and has just five bars and three restaurants: a buffet, a grill and a sea food restaurant. However, guests are not short of choice as they can dine in all of the restaurants at Now Larimar.

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